Journal

Google surveys: Why pay when you can read for free?

Google has unveiled a new service called Google Consumer Surveys which allows web publishers to earn revenue from its customers answers.Rather than ads or a paywall, web content publishers will be able to trade customer survey completion for content.The new system will require customers to answer a survey question in order to access an article or video.For each answer, a site will earn $0.05 (about £0.03). There are a few companies already signed up to host the surveys – including AdWeek and New York Daily News.Prawn or chicken korma?On the other side, companies including Timbuk2 bags and Kasa Indian Eatery are submitting survey questions and paying $0.10 per response (about £0.06).It could be a great alternative to paywalls, or become just another annoying popup that users have to click through to get to content.The system isn’t without its problems: The Atlantic Wire has already discovered that you can skip the surveys using an ad blocker; and will users answer questions accurately or just hit the first answer they see as an alternative to a close button?You can get Google’s take on the system from its promotional video.Related StoriesPinterest to revamp profile pages, launch iPad app